SIDEWALK CAFE FEATURES TASTY LUNCH OFFERINGS

It may seem a bit incongruous: a menu with sprouts, pita bread and chick peas in the chic environs of Delray Beach. But the combination works at the Ciao Sidewalk Cafe.

Tucked into a serene little patio on Atlantic Avenue, just west of the beach, the Ciao attracts a more sedate and sophisticated group than the beach crowd that frequents restaurants along State Road A1A.

The cafe is tiny, just big enough for a few tables and a counter where lunch orders of salads, pita-bread sandwiches, fruit juices and freshly baked desserts are taken.

On a recent afternoon, the luncher ate a tasty falafel sandwich ($2.95) made of spiced croquettes of chick peas and wheat with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and red onions in pita bread with a Middle Eastern dressing.

The sandwich was preceded by one of the soups of the day, a large serving of spicy corn chowder ($1.50).

One of the luncher's companions ordered tuna salad on whole-wheat pita. The salad was an exotic melange of flavors and ingredients mixed with an ample portion of mayonnaise.

Another luncher ordered the tabbouli salad ($3.95), a Lebanese favorite of bulgar wheat artfully mixed with minced parsley in a delicious dressing.

The salad was a meal in itself. Nevertheless, this luncher also ordered a roast beef sandwich ($3.50), the only meat dish on the menu. Tender slices of beef were mixed with slices of cheese and greens to create an exotic combination.

A long list of fruit juices and teas were available to wash down this delightful repast. A large mango juice (75 cents) was cool and fruity fresh. The pink lemonade (75 cents) was neither too tart nor too sweet.

Dessert came in the form of a pair of carob-chip cookies (50 cents each). The blend of carob, a chocolate-flavored bean, in a cookie was especially good. They were moist and chewy. The German chocolate cake ($1.25) was fresh and moist.